嫉妬心
by aiupenn
Summary: Akutagawa ends up under the mistletoe with Higuchi and gets a kiss on the cheek. Atsushi isn't jealous.


Mistletoe, Atsushi had learned quickly, is a very dangerous plant. There was the fact that it was poisonous, but that wasn't really the dangerous part about it. No, the truly dangerous thing was when you got caught underneath it with someone. And that no one seemed able to avoid the tradition.

It'd been Fitzgerald and Ranpo who got caught under the mistletoe first. Fitzgerald loudly complained about how Zelda would not be happy about this, but Ranpo gave him a kiss on the cheek before he got too annoying.

Then Naomi had gotten under the mistletoe with that quiet mafia member Gin. Naomi didn't hesitate to plant a kiss over Gin's bandages where his mouth should be, shot a look to her brother, then rushed off. Gin wasn't even fazed.

Tanizaki went after her in too much of a rush to notice that Kaiji was coming through the doorway with a plate full of lemon meringue tarts. Kaiji laughed maniacally, Tanizaki relented and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Atsushi had watched each and every one of these exchanges with more than a little horror evident on his face. He didn't even dare go to get any snacks, for fear of getting caught underneath the mistletoe. He couldn't imagine kissing anyone here.

Or, well, so he'd assumed until he saw Akutagawa get trapped underneath the mistletoe with Higuchi.

Atsushi's heart literally skipped a beat and he completely lost the trail of conversation he'd been keeping up with Haruno. He watched very closely, and waited for stoic, emotionless Akutagawa to move away. But Akutagawa didn't do that. Instead, the cold mafia executive stared down a blushing Higuchi, who timidly kissed his cheek and rushed off. Akutagawa chomped down a cookie like nothing had happened. Even someone as fearsome as Akutagawa couldn't avoid the curse of the mistletoe.

Atsushi let out a high-pitched scoff of disbelief as his heart stopped dead in his chest. His heart... hurt a little, although he hated to think it or say it. Not that he had any right to think that way. He and Akutagawa weren't dating. Akutagawa could kiss whoever he liked.

He tried to tell himself these very rational things, but the dark feeling in his heart still ate at him.

Haruno sighed and Atsushi snapped back into attention in a panic. "Are you even listening to me, Atsushi?" she asked, waving her phone in his face. Atsushi blinked and caught glimpses of her cat on the screen.

"I'm sorry, Miss Haruno.." Atsushi admitted, and he tried to shake off the exchange he'd just seen.

It didn't work.

Long after he finished his conversation with Haruno, he found himself distracted. Constantly, he turned his gaze from the mistletoe, then to Akutagawa, making sure he wasn't trapped under it again. All this earned him was seeing Haruno giving Kunikida a kiss on the cheek. Akutagawa sulked around the party, stuffing his mouth with sweets, and avoiding speaking to anyone, other than a few brief words to Gin.

"Something bothering you, Atsushi?" said a lilting voice and Atsushi's head whirled around to find the source. Dazai had somehow snuck up behind him.

"You-you scared me, Mr. Dazai," Atsushi said, avoiding his question entirely.

"Has Akutagawa been bothering you again?" Dazai said.

"No!" Atsushi replied as quickly as he could manage, and just a little too loudly.

"Oh? Then what are you staring at him for?"

"I wasn't!" Atsushi protested, "I was... just... daydreaming?"

A quirk appeared in Dazai's brow and his teasing grin grew. "Oh?"

"Not about him of course! Just in general! About... how nice it would be to be a cat!"

"You're entirely unconvincing," Dazai said, but before Atsushi could say anymore, something grabbed his attention and he hurried off.

Atsushi let out a huge sigh of relief. Dazai had to be the only one who noticed right? He was so smart, so... Atsushi took a nervous, little glance around the room. No one else seemed to be staring at him, so that was a good sign.

Against his will, Atsushi's gaze landed on Akutagawa once more, now seemingly having been roped into a conversation with Chuuya. A daydream, huh? He never would've thought about daydreaming about kissing Akutagawa underneath the mistletoe, but now that the image was in his head... Atsushi sighed like a love-sick puppy.

Then it hit him.

If anyone could get caught underneath the mistletoe, then he could with Akutagawa.

Atsushi was not the plotting type. He wasn't particularly wise in strategy and plotting anything else, like pranks, seemed a bit mean-spirited. But this would be his one exception. It wasn't like he was going to kiss Akutagawa, not really. Just a kiss on the cheek like everyone else! He could be just a little self-indulgent. Couldn't he?

It was only a handful of feet to Akutagawa but the whole way Atsushi tried to talk himself out of this ridiculous idea. It didn't work.

To his shock, Akutagawa looked relieved to see him. "Nakajima," he said, his voice as even and grumpy as ever.

"Atsushi!" Chuuya said, with a quite a bit more cheeriness, "Perhaps you can talk some sense into him. This is supposed to be a show of peace. The least he could do is talk to someone."

Akutagawa glared a Chuuya, as Atsushi plastered on a smile. "Of course!"

"Good, then I'm going to get a lot more eggnog," Chuuya said, then wandered off.

Akutagawa tried to escape immediately, trying to slide away before Atsushi's attention was even on him. Atsushi was thankful for the excuse to grab a hold of his wrist. "I saw..." he tried to think of a name, unsuccessfully, "someone go in to get snacks?" Atsushi said, smiling as innocently as he could manage. He was a terrible liar.

Akutagawa had a wide look in his eye like he was about to object, but Atsushi didn't give him the chance. He-lightly-started dragging him towards the snacks and-more importantly-the mistletoe. They were almost there...

Suddenly Akutagawa broke free. By the time Atsushi had turned around, he couldn't even find the top of his head. Atsushi shoved down his disappointment.

"He ran away from you, did he?" Dazai said.

Atsushi jumped. He needed to stop popping up behind him like this.

"Wh-who ran away?" Atsushi said, playing dumb.

Dazai smiled. "He went behind that desk," he said, then pointed to Kunikida's workspace.

Atsushi tried not to look thankful, but that was rather difficult when he was already scurrying towards Akutagawa. He spotted him, crouched behind the desk, looking uncharacteristically wary.

"Akutagawa?" Atsushi said.

Akutagawa jumped and tried to stand quickly. Unfortunately, Atsushi's chin was in the way. His teeth clicked together and his head started to buzz. Akutagawa grabbed a hold of the top of his skull before giving Atsushi an unreadable look.

Atsushi giggled and Akutagawa looked away. "Are you hiding from me?" Atsushi asked, with a smile.

Akutagawa rolled his eyes, but the tips of his ears were red. "Why would I do that, man-tiger?"

"I don't know. That's why I was asking," Atsushi said.

A shadow descended upon the both of them and Atsushi looked up in surprise. He noticed a sprig of green and red and his heart stopped in his chest.

Dazai held the bit of mistletoe over the two of them. "Whoops~" he said in that cheery way of his.

Atsushi looked back in Akutagawa in shock only to see him being restrained by Chuuya. Atsushi looked between everyone in a panic. "I... uh..." Any words he tried to form died in his throat. His eyes locked with Akutagawa's, who looked just as terrified.

Well, this is what he planned for. Might as well make the best of it. Atsushi took a shallow breath and then leaned in.

He was aiming for his cheek, truly. It was Akutagawa who moved at the last minute. And instead of meeting Akutagawa's skin, Atsushi found them kissing on the lips.

They held the kiss just a little too long to be platonic, and Atsushi knew it, but he was really too shocked to move. Akutagawa let out a shocked... groan? Or was it a... Atsushi couldn't help but feel his heart flutter at the thought that it sounded rather a lot like a moan.

Atsushi pulled away abruptly and avoided eye contact. "Sorry," he mumbled, even though he really wasn't that sorry at all.

Chuuya released Akutagawa and Dazai straightened. "Good job~" Dazai said with a wink, and he rushed back into the party, making a beeline for Ranpo with his handful of mistletoe.

Chuuya sighed and gave Atsushi and Akutagawa a look. "He, um, dared me to," Chuuya said in explanation before giving them a small wave and heading off himself.

Atsushi blinked and bit his lip. "Um... We-we should get you... Maybe you can talk to... Kenji?" Atsushi said, trying desperately to act unfazed and get back to the original task at hand.

Akutagawa didn't move.

"Are you okay?" Atsushi said after a moment.

"I'm going home," Akutagawa replied and he was gone before Atsushi could say anything in protest.

Atsushi smiled and wondered if maybe, just maybe, Akutagawa was in such a hurry because he could also feel how wonderfully their lips fit together.

* * *

Comments and critique are always appreciated.


End file.
